Residents of Renamed Ukrainian City Demand Apology From Poroshenko

Residents of the Ukrainian city of Horishni Plavni, which was renamed as a result of the de-communization law, protested the statement made by the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, who said that he "would not be very happy to go to Plavni." He said this in the statement published on the city's page on Facebook.

"We bring to your notice that Horishni Plavni is the name of a Cossack village on the banks of the Dnieper river in Central Ukraine. In the title there is nothing humorous. So we, the residents of Horishni Plavni, were unpleasantly surprised that you, at today's press conference, mocked the name of our city," said the statement.

They stated that they are waiting for the President to make a public apology to the residents of the city.

In May 2015, the law that the Verkhovna Rada had adopted about "the condemnation of the Communist and Nazi regimes" entered into force in Ukraine, prohibiting propaganda of Soviet symbols. It involves the renaming of cities and streets that were named in honor of Soviet statesmen.